There’s Always a Duke

Jenn Northington Dec 8, 2016

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Amanda and Jenn discuss food memoirs, satires, books to build empathy, and more on this week’s episode of Get Booked.

This episode is sponsored by Madison Reed and Comic Bento.

Subscribe to the podcast via RSS here, or via iTunes here.
The show can also be found on Stitcher here.

Questions

1. Hey Amanda and Jenn!

I have a friend who loves storms – meaning she loves to read the blogs online about weather (such as hurricanes) as they develop and change, and what causes them to change course. This made me think she might really enjoy a book about the subject – I’m open to nonfiction or fiction but would like something that feels realistic to mimic the feel of reading the weather columns online.

Thanks for your help!

-Jackie

2. Hi Amanda and Jenn!
I love the podcast, and I’ve had so many amazing reads come out of the show, so thank you.
I am doing the Read Harder Challenge, and I’m stuck on the food memoir. I know this is probably going to be difficult, so I apologize in advance, but do you know of any vegan food memoirs. I am vegan, myself, and since going vegan I’ve found it difficult to get into regular food memoirs. I’ve already found Will Travel For Vegan Food, but I was wondering if by chance you knew of any others, in particular by chefs? Thank you so much in advance!

-Ana

3. Hello Ladies! I am looking for a couple of good books to give my mother as a Xmas gift. Growing up I never saw her read anything that wasn’t some sort of technical manual or medical nonfiction, but recently she has picked up and enjoyed a few novels that either myself or one of my siblings were reading.

These included the The Count of Monte Cristo (full length edition, but armed with a teacher provided character summary sheet), The Angel Makers by Stefan Brijs, and The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman. She also told me that when she was younger she enjoyed the Clan of the Cave Bear series by Jean Auel and the Anne of Green Gables series.

Based off of the above I get the feeling that historical fiction might be a safe bet, though she said she was open to trying other genres. (I was thinking of trying her on Ender’s Game or The Martian as she has enjoyed several sci-fi TV shows.) She is not interested in anything that is too complex/difficult to follow as she tends to take a while to get through what she is reading. She is also not interested in anything with excessive gore, violence, or sex. And has no patience for a novel whose plot is driven primarily by a romance.

Love the show and sorry for the long request!
-April

4. Hi Jenn and Amanda,

Hoping you can help me with this recommendation for my aunts birthday in early December.

I am first generation Australian and my family immigrated from Malta back in the mid 60’s and 70’s as we were kept out in the 20s-through early 60s due to the White Australia Policy. My aunt was married at 19 and her and my uncle immigrated two days later. She is now turning 70 and as she gets older she gets more and more homesick and is turning to books that remind her of growing up, so mostly books set in the southern Mediterranean pre or post war up until around the 70s. She has exhausted pretty much all Maltese authors (there are only a handful) and the islands folklore also. She mostly reads fiction but has been reading non-fiction about the islands history lately.

I have given her copies of all of Elena Ferrante’s work and also the Corfu Trilogy by Gerard Durrell. She loved these as they reminded her growing up and her family and friends that she left behind. I was hoping for similar recommendations but I am coming up short any assistance would be great.

Thanks Heaps

Love the show

-Maria

5. Hi Ladies!

I love your show and your recommendations! I have two requests, only one of which is time sensitive.

The first one (time sensitive) is books for children. I love books that help children with perspective taking, empathy, and being courageous. I am shopping for a variety of ages of children (infants up to age 10), both girls and boys. I am very bad at figuring out age-appropriate books so your help is greatly appreciated!! I need these books for Christmas presents.

My second question, if you are able to answer, is for me. I have been enjoying reading race-based satires, and am wondering if you have any suggestions for books in this category or gender-based satires. I prefer fiction but am open to non-fiction as well.

Thank you!!!

-Kristin

6. Hi! I’m a senior in college, and I’m in the middle of one of the most stressful semesters of my college career. I haven’t been able to find the time to read anything outside of my schoolwork for months, and I’ve really missed having books in my life. I’m looking for something fun and engrossing to read over winter break to get me out of the my reading slump. Genre doesn’t bother me. I’ll read anything except horror.

Some of my favorite comfort books include The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner and anything by Jane Austen.

Thanks for the help!
-Alyssa

Books Discussed

The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger

Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward

Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larson

The Little Ice Age by Brian Fagan

The Happy Vegan by Russell Simmons

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer

Pigs Can’t Swim by Helen Peppe

A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas

East of Eden by John Steinbeck